Wheels Mania

Honda All-New City Bergaya Mobil Konsep

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Salah satu varian Honda All-News City dengan penampilan lebih sporty.

Artikel Terkait:

Inilah Honda City generasi ke-3 yang diberi nama “All-New City”. Resmi dijual ke publik sejak 10 September lalu. Thailand merupakan negara pertama yang meluncurkan All-New City. Hal itu bisa dimaklumi, karena di Negara Gajah Putih itulah City dibuat. Negara berikutnya adalah India.

Bagaimana dengan Indonesia? Belum ada konfirmasi pasti dari PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM). Namun menurut berbagai pihak dari jaringan Honda, All-New City juga segera dipasarkan. Dikhabarkan pula, kini PT HPM lagi sibuk mengetes beberapa unit All-New City. Juga sudah mengantongi ijin impor CBU dari Departemen Perindustrian .

City pertama kali dipasarkan pada 1996. Kini dibuat di 7 negara dan dipasarkan ke 39 negara. Menurut pihak Honda, sampai Mei 2008, kumulatif penjualan City sudah satu juta lebih. Karena itulah, sedan ini dijadikan produk inti Honda di samping Civic, Accord, CR-V dan Jazz (Fit).

Mobil Konsep
Wajah All-New City berbeda jauh dibandingkan dengan pendahulunya New City. Penampilan sedan ini lebih gagah karena desain gril dan bumpernya dinamis. Bahkan bila diteliti lebih cermat, desain bagian depan sudah mengadopsi gril, bumper dan lampu mobil konsep Honda yang akan dipamerkan pada Paris Motor Show bulan depan, yaitu Honda Insight (hibrida), CR-Z (sport hibirida) dan FCX Clarity (hidrogen).

Dengan wajah barunya tersebut, City telah menjadi magnet bagi konsumen atau pengemar sedan kompak Honda di negara-negara Asia. Tak hanya konsumem Thailand membahas kemunculan All-New City ini, tetapi sudah sampai ke India, Pakistan, Malaysia dan tentu saja Indonesia.

Eksterior
Sebagai sedan kompak, dimensinya tidak berbeda jauh dengan New City. Untuk panjang dan lebar hanya berbeda dalam satuan milimeter. Dimensi yang cukup banyak mengalami perubahan hanya tinggi, 15 mm.

Dari depan, gril dan lampu, desainnya berubah total. Versi sekarang, lebih dinamis dengan gril krom berjenjang. Garis-garis gril terintegrasi dengan lampu depan membentuk busur panah. Bumper depan, berdimensi lebih besar memberikan kesan lebih bertenaga.

Samping, desainnya mengarah ke saudaranya yang lebih tua, Civic. Seluruh kaca samping atau pintu, di depan dan belakang, bagian atas melandai atau parabolik. Memberikan kesain lebih dinamis dan aerodinamika.

Di belakang, All-New City juga didesain ulang secara menyeluruh. Lampunya model baru, terdiri dari dua segmen, merah dan putih. Bagasi belakang lebih pendek, seperti Hyundai Avega.

Interior
Desain dan corak interior juga berubahtotal. Jok kini menggunakan warna hitam. Begitu juga dengan dashboard. Perpaduan ornamen atau aksetuansi pada All-New City memberi kesan ebih ekslusif dan mewah. Hal ini dilakukan Honda dengan menambahkan unsur krom pada bagian tengah dashaboard dan tempat tombol power window di pintu.

Panel instrumen juga mengalami perubahan. Pada sistem ini digunakan bulatan untuk indikator putaran mesin (paling kiri), speedomter (tengah) dan indikator mesin lainnya, misalnya, oli, suhu mesin dan sebagai pada (paling kanan). Komposisinya sama dengan All-New Jazz, namun detailnya berbeda.

Mesin
Sumber penggerak All-New City ternyata sama dengan All-New Jazz, yaitu mesin 1.500 cc, SOHC dengan i-VTEC (intelligent- Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control). Tenaga dan torsi yang dihasilkan mesin tidak berbeda. Dibandingkan dengan New City, mesin All-New City lebih besar 10 PS. Tenaga maksimum yang dihasil mesin All-New City adalah 120PS 6.600 rpm. Tenaga maksimum diperoleh pada putaran lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan VTEC New City, yaitu 110 PS/5.800 rpm. Sedangkan yang diperoleh pada putaran sama, 4.800 rpm, hanya 0,2 kg-m lebih besar. Versi i-VTEC torsinya 14,8 kg-m (145 Nm). Menurut Honda, mesin ini sudah mencapai standar emisi Euro-4.

Dimensi
Lebar 1.695 mm
Tingi 1470 mm
Jarak Sumbu Roda 2,550 mm
Trek depan dan belakang: 1.476 mm dan 1.459 mm
Berat: 1.150 kg
Radius putar 5.0 meter
Kapasitas Tangki 42 liter

Mesin
Tipe: 1.5L SOHC i-VTEC
Kapasitas: 1,497cc
Diameter x Langkah: 73.0mm x 89.4mm
Perbandingan Kompresi: 10.4:1
Tenaga Maks.Max. : 120ps (88KW) / 6,600rpm
Torsi maks.: 145Nm (14.8Kgm) / 4,800rpm
Transmisi: 5 Speed Auto (CVT, Grade Logic Control) dan Manual
Perbandiangan gigi: 2.995, 1.678, 1.066, 0.760, 0.551
Perbandingan gigi mundur: 1.956
Perbandingan gigi akhir: 4.562

Sumber: Kompas Otomotif

Lexus RX 350 a solid effort, but no knockout punch

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:52:00 +0000

By: Nancy Dunham

The 2010 Lexus RX 350 is big and bold, and features luxurious interior appointments. (Courtesy photo)

You know how it is when a blockbuster movie is released and everyone's talking about how great it is and you don't say much because you thought it, well, just wasn't that good?

That's sort of how I feel about the 2010 Lexus RX 350.

2010 Lexus RX 350

» Engine: 275-horsepower, 3.5-liter, V-6

» Transmission: Six-speed automatic

» Fuel Economy: 18/city, 24/highway

» MSRP: $37,250 and up

I can appreciate why U.S. News & World Report ranked it No. 1 out of 14 in luxury midsize SUVs after the magazine distilled 56 published reviews and test drives plus analyzed reliability and safety data.

Certainly the RX 350 has a host of popular appeal, too, which will likely increase now that the redesigned, sleeker model is in the showrooms. Certainly, it's easy to see the positives.

The car is big and bold but with enough power that it never feels like the automotive equivalent of a gangly kid. The six-speed transmission and 275-horsepower V-6 engine provide all the power it needs to boost you up to cruising speeds as you come off those ramps on the Beltway (and if you've driven around these parts for a while, you know that's a must).

I had the front-wheel-drive model, although there is an all-wheel-drive option. I found the front-wheel drive was plenty strong and stable enough to power me up some fairly steep roadways.

Inside, the car's plenty comfortable thanks to a double wishbone rear suspension, power tilt and telescopic steering column, and 10-way power driver and front passenger seats. I also had the comfort package with ventilated/heated seats. Honestly, sitting in this car might not be like sitting in an easy chair in the living room, but it's pretty close.

Adding to that luxury feel is the leather seating and a lovely, high-grade center column with 9-inch display screen. I'm a huge fan of easy-to-read displays, and this has it plus a fairly high-powered, 12-speaker audio system and straightforward navigation system.

Add to that a "joystick" you can use to control the phone, audio and nav, and you see why tech lovers are enraptured.

Of course the car has plenty of room, too. Cargo space is 40.3 cubic feet, which goes to 80.3 cubic feet once the second row seats are folded. A nice bonus was that the seats are easy to fold down, so you're not standing in the cold struggling and pulling on levers.

So just what, you might rightly ask, keeps this car from being a knockout?

In my mind, it's the little things. There's no running board to help the height-impaired. The navigation and audio systems are definitely not what one could call intuitive. Most of all, though, the car just isn't nimble, which makes it a bit less than easy to maneuver in and out of narrow parking spots.

Yes, the popularity of the Lexus RX 350 is well-deserved, but don't believe it's perfect

Mitsubishi is hoping that new models will spur sales in the United States

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:09:00 +0000

A picture of Concept cX

The Concept cX will be the basis for the Outlander Sport next fall.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi aims to revive its ailing U.S. operations by introducing a new SUV and a small car by 2012 and by reviewing the dealership network to weed out weak players.

"The revitalization of the American business is very important," Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko told Automotive News at the Tokyo Motor Show. "We're reviewing many things."

Mitsubishi has been hard hit by the U.S. downturn. Its sales collapsed 47 percent in the first nine months of the year. The overall U.S. market fell 27 percent.

Masuko said the U.S. game plan has these elements:

--Launching new models.

--Strengthening the sales network.

--Reaffirming the company's commitment to stay in the market.

Mitsubishi will make good on the first goal next fall, with the introduction of the Outlander Sport, a small SUV. The vehicle is based on the Concept cX, first shown at the Frankfurt auto show in 2007. It will be a global model based on the platform of the Lancer sedan.

It will have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and come in front- and all-wheel-drive packages, John Koenig, executive vice president for operations at Mitsubishi Motors North America, told Automotive News.

Mitsubishi will follow that with a global small car in 2012. That car will be smaller than the Colt, which is sold in Japan and Europe, and will have a 1.0- to 1.3-liter gasoline engine. A plug-in hybrid version and all-electric version of the global small car are scheduled for 2013. Mitsubishi is studying which of those would best suit the United States.

The rollout of the new cars is part of Mitsubishi's push to reposition its brand as a maker of fuel-efficient gasoline-powered cars and electric and hybrid vehicles.

Masuko also will review Mitsubishi's 400-plus U.S. dealers, looking to shed troubled stores and add stronger ones cut loose by distressed rivals such as General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group.

Mitsubishi has already signed up one former Saturn dealer in Louisiana.

"The environment for the dealers in the United States is changing," Masuko said. "There are some dealers who have gotten weaker, and some who have growth potential. So we'd like to review each and every dealer."

Kia unveils new Cadenza sedan

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:43:00 +0000

Kia Cadenza. Click image to enlarge

Seoul, South Korea – Kia Motors has unveiled the first official photo of its new KND-5 concept car, an all-new sedan that will be called Cadenza in markets outside of Korea.

The new model, which the company said will “satisfy drivers’ desire for refinement, safety and emotional satisfaction by creating ‘ideal’ driving conditions,” will make its overseas premiere at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motor shows later this year.

Features include LED headlamp surrounds, a “floating” dashboard with ambient lighting, power extendable seat cushions, automatic windshield defogging, ventilated front seats, and in cold-weather markets, a heated steering wheel.

“New Cadenza will showcase the continuing evolution in Kia’s striking design language through the harmonious blend of light and lines,” said Soon-Nam Lee, director of the overseas marketing group. “It will also present a new concept in luxury sedans in terms of performance and technology.”

Luxury Automakers Need To Socialize More

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:09:00 +0000

by Karl Greenberg

Luxury automakers could use a course in how to integrate social-media campaigns, per a new study from New York-based consultancies MH Group Communications and Forum Strategies & Communications.

Looking at luxury auto-brand activity across sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr, the study found that German automakers dominate the luxury auto business category, while Japanese and American brands are largely absent. But the study also determined that none of the automakers has social media down pat. Overall, it ranked BMW No. 1, followed by Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln.

The firm says Porsche had the highest social-community index, followed by BMW and Audi. In terms of conversation, BMW held a sizeable lead over competitors.

BMW leaned heavily on social media last year to launch its 1-Series car, intended to attract younger, entry-level consumers with a "Pure BMW" effort via Austin, Texas-based GSD&M and New York-based Dotglu. The effort included Facebook elements, wherein members could send virtual 1-Series cars and car keys to each other and the car itself on a kind of trip from one profile to another.

Audi is using social media sites like Facebook to trumpet the virtues of its turbo-direct injection diesel with videos about its race program featuring interviews on site with people like chief marketer Scott Keogh.

Mark Hass, president of MH Group and former worldwide CEO of PR firm MS&L, tells Marketing Daily that the import luxury brands have the benefit of strong brand identity.

But, he says, social-media silence about the Japanese luxury brands means that resting on laurels isn't enough. "Lexus was a real surprise in terms of how little traction they have," he says. "That is a reflection of what they are doing. The German brands are doing more."

He argues that savvy social-media marketing -- and he holds up Zappos and Starbucks as exemplars -- are both aggressive within a given channel and also integrated across a number of them. "We have found that automakers are doing things that are focused in one or two channels, and each effort is isolated and treated as an independent program," he says. "None of the automakers -- not even BMS and Porsche -- have integrated, holistic approaches."

Hass says an aggressive approach means making sure fan sites don't subsume the company's own efforts. "If the unofficial fan pages tend to have more participants than official ones," he says, "you've lost control of brand. It's great to let customers control it, but not to control it completely."

The study revealed that social media conversations around luxury auto brands focused on admiration, sales and deals, questions about features, service and availability and news and vehicle announcements, which are unique challenges in each area for automakers.

The good news is that consumers evince a general goodwill toward luxury brands in social media. The firm says that 90% of the commentary and content created about these brands is positive, since luxury brand consumers perceive that they receive a high level of service and value by being associated with the brand.

This news story is important. I recommend that everyone read it.

Honda Jazz launched

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Honda being a Japanese company producing highly powerful and beautiful cars now has released another stunning model called HONDA JAZZ by which the company is competing with other giants like Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai. Just a few months back Tata released the cheapest car in the world called Nano which is booked now for next 3years.

Now it’s like playing gamble with other companies if they produce 4 seated cars in India because there is a great competition between automobile companies which are producing 4seated cars. But the Honda says that they won’t loose here!

They give the reason for they said, The car is having great looks Razor sharp edges, unique forward-leaning cabin wind screen is pretty large, head light enhances the sharp look and tail lamps are knife sharp. Producing decent at the same time dashing looks.

Having pretty stylish CD player and audio controller. AC and CD players are very easy to access. Dashboard gives a high-tech look and the leg room in the commanding as well as the rear seat is more than enough. I need not say that the seats are quite comfortable. The box under the driver seat can even be accessed by rear seats which can hold documents.

Variant	Price
Jazz basic	Rs.6,98,000/-
Jazz Mode	Rs.7,28,000/-
Jazz Active	Rs.7,33,000/-

Tokyo motor show preview

noreply@blogger.com (BajingAlas) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:51:00 +0000

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Start the discussion

When the Tokyo Show opens its doors in a couple of weeks time, what will be on display and what'll be the message?

The show this year, first off, will be much smaller than usual with only Caterham, Lotus and Alpina representing the foreign brands. Hard to believe, considering this is Tokyo, one of the world's A-list shows, but true. The Germans, Ferrari and of course the Americans have all cried off.

See the Tokyo stars in pics

From the Japanese home team, there will be a rash of small eco cars and the long awaited unveiling of the hugely exotic V10-powered Lexus LF-A at the other end of the scale.

On the Toyota stand, the FT-86 concept, the joint Toyota-Subaru rear-drive sports coupe otherwise joyfully known as the Toyobaru, will also go public for the first time. Judging by early web reaction, Toyota seems to have got a lot of it right with this compact, edgy, Subaru-engined flat-four coupe, but how good a deal will it be for Subaru?

Nissan will lead with its electric Leaf and showcase the Land Glider, a tiny, tilting electric tandem two-seater that the Japanese public are surely going to love.

Honda looks good with a 95 per cent version of the CR-Z 1.5-litre hybrid coupe and the Skydeck, a smart three-row hybrid wagon concept which could one day be turned into a very viable S-Max rival.

Mazda revives the Kiyora (it foretells the next Mazda2) and unveils a new hi-tech range of SKY petrol and diesel engines. But no big rotary-powered concept this year, alas, although the rotary engine is still alive and well in Hiroshima.

Like everyone, Mitsubishi has had to cut back and its headliner is the PX-MiEV, an upscale Outlander-base off-roader with Mitsu's own plug-in-hybrid system.

Once upon a time, Suzuki could be relied upon to do some of the wildest show cars in town (anyone remember the Suzuki Mobile Terrace?) but this year, Suzuki's gone all sensible on us.

A plug-in Swift and next Alto concept are the main action there, while Subaru has an upscale gullwing hybrid tourer concept (called, with stunning imagination, the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept) to show and go on its stand. It previews a clever twin motor hybrid system which Subaru swears is all its own work (and has nothing to do with Toyota....).

Coming so soon after Frankfurt and seemingly overshadowed now by the big Chinese Shows. Tokyo this year will seem almost like a local show. It'll be far from the vast and entertaining tech fest that it's been in the past.

But considering the economic climate and the very real possibility earlier this year that it would be cancelled, let's be thankful we have a show at all.

And that at last we can see and touch the Toyobaru, that beguiling rear-drive sports coupe which looks to be in with a very real chance of being Car of the Show.